Goody Two Shoes (Invertary 2)

Caroline laughed. Man, but he loved her laugh. “You used to be so easygoing. I had to fight to make you take anything seriously.”

“You’ve been a bad influence on me.”

She laughed some more.

A horn honked outside. The front door slammed. A few minutes later, the midwife barrelled in. “Has he freaked out completely yet?” She grinned at Josh. He glared at her.

Caroline smiled at him. “Better call for backup. Any minute now he’s going to need medical attention.”

How she could joke at a time like this, he didn’t know.

“Saw Betty and the old folk downstairs. They’re lobbing eggs at the paparazzi.”

“Eggs?” Josh knew he was screeching. He couldn’t seem to stop it. “That’s the big plan.”

Caroline patted his hand. “That’s phase one.” She turned to the midwife. “Maybe you should give him something to calm him down.”

As the two women chuckled, Caroline suddenly stopped still.

“What is it?” He knew they should have gone to the hospital. It was a mistake letting Caroline get her own way on a home birth. He should have laid down the law. He scoffed to himself. Like that ever worked. He glared at his wedding ring. Even though he’d had it engraved with the words from The Lord of the Rings: one ring to rule them all. The damn thing had no power at all.

Caroline pointed downward. “My water broke.”

Josh saw the first signs of an actual birth, and it was too much for him. The room spun and the last thing he felt was his head hitting the floor.

“Wake up, Daddy.”

Josh could have sworn that was Mitch.

His eyes flickered open to see Mitch grinning down at him. He had his iPhone in his hand. “This is definitely going on YouTube.”

“Leave him alone.” Caroline sounded amused.

Caroline! The baby!

Josh struggled to his feet to find his wife propped up in bed, a little bundle of pink wrapped in her

arms. “Is that the baby?”

“Come meet your daughter.” Caroline smiled at him. Her face was flushed and her hair was dishevelled, but she had never been more magnificent.

Stunned, he walked over to her. “How long was I out?”

She laughed. “A while. But you fainted several times. You kept coming to and then you’d see something you didn’t like and you’d drop again. Don’t worry, Mitch filmed it. Your passing out, I mean, not the birth.”

He glared at his friend, who shrugged. Josh took a deep breath and pulled back the pink blanket. The most beautiful little face appeared. It was a tiny Caroline. He stopped breathing.

“Our daughter,” he said with awe.

He dragged his attention away from his perfect little person to kiss his wife. “Man, I love you.”

She gave him the same smile that got them in this position in the first place. “I know.” Her voice was smug.

Josh brushed her hair back from her face. “Are you okay? Was it tough?”

She laughed. “It was fast and painful. But I still think I had an easier time than you did.”

“Let’s not do it again.” Josh reached for his daughter, and Caroline handed her over. As soon as he held her in his arms, his heart melted. He didn’t think it was possible to love someone as much as he loved Caroline. Now there were two women who owned him. “Well, maybe not for a couple of years, anyway.”